Israel Bombing Schools, UN Installations, Civilians!

There sure is a lot of hand-wringing going on right now in the media about civilian casualties and big bad Israel bombing the shit out of schools and United Nations installations in Gaza.

Israel drops bombs where the enemy is located. That's the bottom line. Buried deep in a lot of the stories we're seeing about this is the fact that cowardly Hamas fighters are hiding in civilians' homes, schools, hospitals and UN facilities between rocket launches & firing their RPG's.

The blame for all civilian casualties in this conflict belongs squarely and completely at the feet of Hamas and the rest of the Islamist radicals who, to ultimately fulfill their ideological goals, require the complete destruction of Israel. If human life was so important to these idiots, they would refrain from putting their own people in harms way and strive to live in peace with their neighbors. They would fight on the battlefield like men instead of hiding amongst the civilian population, sticking their heads out only to launch rockets and commit other assorted & sundry acts of aggression.

Israel is damned if it does and fucked if it doesn't. At the most basic level, the Palestinian militants are so far in the wrong it's clear as day. The Jews need a state, and the Palestinians need a state. Israel is more than willing to work with the Palestinians in achieving that goal, but Hamas and the like will have nothing of it, instead dedicating themselves to one goal: the destruction of Israel. There will never be peace from their perspective until Israel is wiped off the map. How does Israel pursue peace with parties committed to such radical ideology? It is impossible.

Some Palestinian elements suggest that an Israel withdrawal to pre-1967 borders may be a concession that even the hardest-core militants may accept in exchange for a long-term cease fire (note that I didn't say "permanent", or "peace"). One significant reason that Israel took the land it did in 1967 was because its previous borders were indefensible - the strips of land with hostile neighbors surrounding them were too small to have an effective & strategic plan for defense - making Israel an appealing target and vulnerable to attack. Once Israel DID get attacked by its neighbors, starting the six-day war, Israel was able to beat back the aggressors and redraw the borders to be more defensible. It is unlikely - and would be extremely foolish - for Israel to withdraw to the old borders as long as its neighbors are committed to its destruction.

The only answer to this equation is to A) change the minds of hard-core Palestinian idealogues and religious zealots so they believe Allah would be down peace with Israel, or B) Beat, bomb, shoot, eviscerate and annihilate every last one of them, or C) Israel moves to Siberia, or D) Israel agrees to its own demise.

Now, you tell me. What are the chances that anyone will change the minds of religious zealots who believe in a radical interpretation of the Koran and are bent on Israel's destruction? I'd say right around zero, so option A is out. I don't think it's feasible for Israel to roll to Siberia, so option C is out. It's idiotic to think option D is even an option. So, option B it is right now.

The people of Gaza chose this for themselves. They voted Hamas to power, so I don't feel a damn bit sorry for them. If they value their lives and the lives of their families, they will vote differently if and when there is another election, and they will purge their territory of the extremists. That is the only feasible alternative to perpetual fighting, bombing, maiming and death. Until they do, they'd better expect the bombs to rain down ANYWHERE the militants are.